Podcast Summary: Year End Repeat: Pig Butchering – Operation Shamrock Fights Back
Podcast: Cybersecurity Today
Host: Jim Love
Guest: Erin West, Founder of Operation Shamrock
Date: December 24, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode tackles one of the most insidious and fast-growing cybercrimes: "pig butchering" scams—a brutal form of online fraud, often involving romance or investment cons, perpetrated by ruthless organized criminals. Host Jim Love speaks with Erin West, a former California prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock, about the massive scale of these scams, the human toll they exact, how cyber professionals and the public can help, and what her organization is doing to disrupt the threat.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Scope and Human Cost of Pig Butchering
- Massive losses: Estimated $75 billion stolen globally (2020–2024), likely much higher due to underreporting (<15% report) [~03:30].
- Victimization: Targets are often vulnerable, lonely, or trusting individuals who are emotionally manipulated—sometimes losing everything.
- Organized Crime: These aren’t isolated incidents, but “industrialized” operations based in Southeast Asia, with victims on both sides of the scam.
"If you think this can't touch your life, you're just perpetuating the myth. Statistically speaking, someone you love or someone you know has likely fallen victim, and the tragedy can be immense." — Jim Love [~05:10]
2. The Evolution of the Crime and Erin West's Motivation
- Erin West’s background: 26+ years as a prosecutor, witnessing a crime wave so vast it demanded systemic change [06:07].
- Discovery: Noticed a surge in high-value, tech-based scams in 2022 via her work with a high-tech task force in Santa Clara County [07:58].
- Lack of preparedness: Banks, local and national law enforcement ill-equipped to handle the new scale and technical challenge of scams [08:59].
- Key realization: The crime blends old-school fraud with new tech (blockchain, crypto) in ways victims and authorities don’t understand [10:02].
"What I was seeing was victims coming to me, telling me that they had their entire net worth stolen from them...our country was not prepared, our national law enforcement, our local law enforcement was not prepared to respond to that crisis." — Erin West [06:30]
3. Operation Shamrock: Mission and Approach
- Three-fold mantra: Educate, Seize, Disrupt [12:58].
- Founding: Birthed from Erin’s recognition of a need for a united front—across law enforcement, banking, tech, foreign policy, and victim support [14:28].
- Action focus: Host a Crypto Coalition (grew from 85 to 2,300 members), offering real-world investigative collaboration for law enforcement [15:55].
- Victim empowerment: Providing incident reporting, education, and honest answers to victims, not just platitudes [29:15].
"We are not the type of people who are going to sit on a panel and talk about it. We are going to tell you what we did yesterday and what we're doing tomorrow." — Erin West [14:28]
4. Why the Name ‘Pig Butchering’?
- Terminology debate: Some favor less graphic terms (financial grooming/romance scam), but Erin insists on 'pig butchering' to reflect the brutality and draw public attention [19:52].
- Evolving threat: In 2025, what started as pig butchering now includes every kind of financial scam, all orchestrated by transnational crime syndicates [21:28].
"I'm going to call it pig butchering every chance I get. Because it's vile. Because this crime is vile..." — Erin West [19:52]
5. Behind the Scenes: The Criminal Factories
- Industrialized operations: Former hotels in Southeast Asia transformed into scam factories, run by Chinese organized crime [21:44].
- Grim conditions: Workers—many trafficked under false job promises—are held captive, beaten, and forced to commit scams under threat of violence [21:44].
"There were literal blocks of ... former hotels that had been repurposed to be scam centers...they would be violently, violently handled if they didn’t do that work. And that's exactly what happens." — Erin West [21:44]
6. The Victim’s Experience
- Anatomy of a scam: Begins as a ‘wrong number’ text or innocent LinkedIn/Facebook message, builds trust over weeks/months, then pivots to a lucrative crypto investment “opportunity” with falsified profits [24:55].
- Not about stupidity: Scammers use psychological isolation and targeted manipulation, so anyone can fall prey [28:05].
- Total loss: Many victims lose life savings, homes, and self-worth. Secondary scams (false recovery services) prey upon those desperate to retrieve stolen funds [29:15].
"It's incomprehensible that these scammers are really stealing someone's entire net worth...They are leading these victims to believe that they have found an amazing way to increase their own value." — Erin West [28:05]
7. Recovery, Awareness, and Community Response
- Money lost is rarely recovered: Only very swift reporting offers a slim chance—but shame or confusion often delays action, benefiting scammers [29:15].
- Operation Shamrock’s role: Volunteer investigators help analyze cases and give honest feedback. Victims can submit reports through their website [30:15].
- Training: Offers a ‘Train the Trainer’ program with ready-made educational slides for grassroots awareness [31:42].
- Advice to the public: Start candid conversations with loved ones about digital vulnerability (the modern version of “the talk”) [32:58].
8. Empathy, Stigma, and the Role of Cybersecurity Professionals
- Lead with empathy: Don't blame victims; treat them with kindness and support so they're more likely to come forward [36:31].
- No one is immune: Even experts can be caught off guard when tired or emotionally pressured [35:04].
"Scammers will find a way around all of that. And this has nothing to do with your intelligence. This has everything to do with...their occupation all day, every day." — Erin West [34:15]
"Be kind. Lead with empathy...this is so rampant and there are so many victims that are not speaking up." — Erin West [36:31]
9. Success Stories and Real Impact
- Small wins matter: Erin recounts how international community collaboration prevented a victim from sending another $1.3 million by rapidly deploying trusted contacts [37:32].
"Within 10 minutes, someone reached out to me and gave me a contact in that county. I reached out to that person on a weekend and by Monday morning, someone was at the house of this victim and got her to understand what was happening and not send that money. So this is how we fix this." — Erin West [37:32]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On victim blaming:
"Until we start taking this crime as seriously as it is, which is an attack on the world’s financial wherewithal...we are going to continue looking at it as an old lady who lives with her cats and got taken advantage of. And that’s not what this is." — Erin West [18:53] -
On what professionals can do:
"Awareness is a large part of a way out of this." — Erin West [31:42] -
On empathy and openness:
"We need to change the narrative to we're under attack and you got attacked. I'm an open door for you. I would love to hear your story and educate about your story." — Erin West [36:31]
Actionable Takeaways & Resources
- Visit operationshamrock.org: Report scams, volunteer, join communities (banking, tech, law enforcement), and find training resources.
- Spread Awareness: Use Shamrock’s “Train the Trainer” kits to educate your community—host workshops, talk to friends/family, especially those vulnerable to loneliness.
- Have 'the talk': Proactively discuss digital scams with family (especially seniors or isolated loved ones).
"We have to be able to say that to our parents. You can come and talk to me about this." — Jim Love [~33:30]
- Be Empathetic: Avoid judgment; support victims with understanding.
- Act Swiftly: Encourage immediate reporting; time matters for any chance of financial recovery.
- Support: Donations help; consider contributing if possible.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Erin West’s Introduction and Motivation: 06:07–08:59
- Pig Butchering: Scale, Tactics, Human Trafficking: 09:05–14:21
- Operation Shamrock: Mission & Impact: 12:58–15:55
- Technical education and law enforcement training: 15:55–17:14
- Victim psychology and shame: 17:14–19:29
- Terminology: Pig butchering vs. Romance Scam: 19:29–21:28
- Anatomy of Scam Factories: 21:28–24:41
- Victim Experience Example: 24:41–28:05
- Possibility of Recovery & Operation Shamrock's Help: 29:15–31:42
- Call to action for cybersecurity professionals: 31:32–32:58
- Empathy in community response: 36:31–37:24
- International collaboration success story: 37:24–39:10
Conclusion
This affecting conversation exposes the urgent global threat of pig butchering scams, the sophisticated, violent criminal networks behind them, and the multiplying epidemic of heartbreak and financial ruin. Operation Shamrock stands at the vanguard of resistance—educating the public, training law enforcement, supporting victims, and reminding the cybersecurity community that empathy and action, not blame, will turn the tide.
Take a step:
Check out Operation Shamrock, pass the message on, support awareness, and remember: “Be kind. Lead with empathy.” [36:31]
For feedback or to share your thoughts, contact Jim Love at editorial@echnewsday.ca or on LinkedIn.